I liked the first two "Blade" movies quite a bit. They weren't anything more than they were really, but they were strong comic book/action flicks that created a strong universe for the characters and took themselves seriously enough that fans cared about the characters more than they usually do in this kind of picture.

The fact that a third picture was going to be made signaled more of the same, although it was of interest that David Goyer, the screenwriter responsible for the first two films, as well as "Dark City", had signed on to both direct and write the third entry. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, things went off track. This isn't a movie without entertaining moments, but where the first two pictures were fun and involving, this one feels much more like a mere time-waster.

The film starts off with...pretty much the same thing that the rest of the movies have started with, more or less: vampires are trying to take over the world and, this time around, they've brought forth the original Dracula (Dominic Purcell, in a terrible performance that is one of the film's main faults - get a good actor as the villain.) So, Blade returns, although not before being captured by the feds after a set-up by humans working with vampires ("familiars".)

He's rescued by Abigail Whistler (Jessica Biel), the daughter of Blade's assistant Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) and Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds), who are both part of a "cell" that hunts down vampires. So, we begin a series of battle scenes, with Blade aided by his two new pals. Biel is a welcome addition, although she doesn't say much (and her character's IPOD plug is irritating). Reynolds, on the other hand, is not such a good fit - I've actually always found the actor's delivery quite funny, but this series really doesn't need a constant supply of one-liners. I didn't mind the actor's presence really (Parker Posey's way over-the-top performance as the lead vamp, however, annoyed), but wondered who thought this series needed an major humor infusion? "Trinity" has much more humor overall than the other two films, and it does drain the tension here.

Goyer also makes some rather unfortunate directorial decisions, as well: we get what seems like 50 slow-mo shots of the main trio. It's supposed to be badass, but here, it somehow just seems silly. There's a few good action moments here (I liked the introduction of Biel's character), but the majority of the film's action sequences are overedited and not choreographed terribly well. The film's use of music is also problematic; while I can understand a loud soundtrack in this kind of fare, the music is simply so loud and wall-to-wall that it becomes invasive and distracting. Finally, this movie seems to push more into the "real world", and I liked it better when Blade's world seemed like the dark, noirish cities in the comic books he came from.

I was hoping "Blade: Trinity" would take the series in new and unexpected directions, given the involvement of the screenwriter of the prior installments. Instead, this is a picture that, despite some basically entertaining stretches, feels thrown together. There's not much thought given to story or characters, and some of the decisions here make me wonder what Goyer was thinking. Given the end of the picture, a fourth movie (or a spin-off, which seems like a possibility given the fact that the two sidekicks are given a lot of screen time) isn't out of the question - if so, lets hope the reigns are handed over to someone else.

The DVD includes both the 113-minute theatrical cut and a 123-minute "unrated" edition (sorry, no Jessica Biel nudity.)